Passenger Rail in Washington

Tacoma passengers should use Puyallup Avenue station

Due to the Dec. 18 derailment, neither the new bypass route or new station in Tacoma's Freighthouse Square are being used for the foreseeable future. Travelers in Tacoma can catch Amtrak Cascades trains at the previous station, 1001 Puyallup Ave.

Amtrak Cascades train service began in 1994. WSDOT is responsible for train operations management and reporting; budgeting; performance tracking ; construction project management and reporting; local, regional, state, and national program coordination; working with the freight rail partners that own the railroad tracks; public outreach; and marketing activities.

Operations – provides program direction and management of the Amtrak Cascades planning, service delivery, investment, and maintenance.

Capital Delivery - responsible for development and delivery of projects that will increase the frequency and reliability of passenger rail service. The nearly $800 million program completed 20 federally funded projects that ended in 2017.

Amtrak Cascades Service

The Amtrak Cascades service operates over 4,000 trains annually. This consists of 11 trains operating in the Pacific Northwest each day with stops in 18 cities. This service includes:

Operating Trains Across State and International Borders Requires Many Partnerships

Operating Amtrak Cascades trains requires functional partnerships between Washington, Oregon , British Columbia , Amtrak , three railroads, international customs and border control agencies and a train manufacturer. These partnerships are managed through constant collaboration, service contracts and agreements.

Corridor Management

The corridor is 467 miles long; 300 miles in Washington, 134 miles in Oregon, and 33 miles in British Columbia.

A corridor partnership agreement has been entered into between WSDOT and Oregon DOT. The states worked together to develop the Cascades Rail Corridor Management Workplan . This plan guides development of the corridor and positions both states for the best opportunities for funding and contract performance.

Amtrak Cascades Performance

Amtrak Cascades has operated over 20 years. More than 744,000 passengers rode Amtrak Cascades in 2015. Farebox recovery, the amount of operations funding provided by ticket revenues, rests at 58.6 percent. View the statistics .

Funding

Amtrak Cascades is funded by ticket sales and sponsorship by WSDOT and ODOT.